Overthinking in recruitment is the stealth tax on your billings. You burn hours running scenarios that never happen, rewriting emails you never send, and rehearsing conversations you never have. Feels busy. Pays nothing.

Here’s the truth bomb: your brain isn’t broken, it’s trying to keep you safe. Safety over action. Control over risk. That wiring kept you out of trouble as a kid; in recruitment it keeps you out of commission.

So let’s rewire it for our game.

What Overthinking Looks Like in Recruitment

• Staring at a draft InMail for 20 minutes because “tone”.
• Sitting on a hot CV because “maybe I should tweak the summary again”.
• Avoiding the rate chat because “the client might push back”.
• Rehearsing the counter-offer call 17 times… then sending a “quick check-in” text instead.

None of that moves the needle on your desk. Action does.

Why Overthinking in Recruitment Happens (and why you shouldn’t beat yourself up)

Your brain equates “thinking more” with “staying safe”. If you anticipate every angle, you won’t be rejected, look silly, or lose control. Nice idea. In practice, you trade momentum for make-believe. We don’t need therapy notes; we need a playbook that gets you back on the phone.

1) Name the threat (don’t outsmart it, out it)

Most recruiters spiral because they never ask themselves why they’re stalling. Your brain is whispering “don’t act yet, it’s risky” but never names the risk. Naming it drags it into daylight.

Ask: “What am I trying to protect myself from right now?”

• Rejection from a candidate?
• Pushback from a client?
• Looking silly on a rate call?

Once you write down the exact fear, you stop wrestling fog. Now you can solve it.

2) Reset your nervous system (logic won’t land if you’re fried)

You can’t think straight mid-spiral. When stress spikes, your brain is in fight-or-flight, not decision-making mode. Before strategy, reset.

Do this:

• 4/8 breathing (in for 4, out for 8, six rounds).
• Quick shake of shoulders, stand up, walk to the kitchen.
• Splash cold water if you’re buzzing.

Two minutes to drop cortisol. Then make the call, send the CV, or pick up the client line.

3) Externalise the chaos (facts vs fiction)

Overthinking thrives in your head because it’s a closed loop. Get it out where you can see it.

Grab paper, draw two columns:

• Facts: what’s true right now.
• Fiction: the stories I’m making up.

Example:
Facts: “Client signed off 170–185k. Candidate target is 165–175k.”
Fiction: “She’ll think I’m pushy”, “They’ll bin me if I ask now”.

On paper you’ll see most of the spiral is assumption, not reality. Act on data, not drama.

4) Talk to your inner bouncer (yes, out loud)

That nagging voice isn’t the enemy; it’s an over-protective safety officer. It doesn’t realise you’re a grown recruiter now.

Say: “Appreciate the concern. I’ve got this. One clean call, then we decide.” Or if you are overthinking due to anxiety – a great mantra to start repeating to yourself is “It’s okay, I can do hard things.”

Sounds silly. Works. Saying it out loud grounds you and calms your system so you can move.

5) Micro-actions beat mega-thinking

Waiting for confidence before acting is the trap. Confidence follows action. Every micro-move proves you’re safe and competent, which breaks the loop.

Examples:

• Send the CV with a three-line pitch instead of re-editing the doc.
• Call the candidate with one question instead of scripting a ten-minute speech.
• Message the client: “Can talk comp in 10? Quick one.”

Small actions compound. Overthinking can’t survive momentum.

6) Let it be messy (progress, not perfect)

You won’t switch off decades of overthinking overnight. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s shortening the spiral.

• If it used to be two hours and now it’s ten minutes, win.
• If you spoke up even though your voice shook, win.
• If you decided without asking three colleagues first, win.

Each messy win rewires your brain. You build trust in yourself by acting, not by thinking harder.

The Recruiter’s Bottom Line

Overthinking looks like productivity but bills like procrastination. The cure isn’t another motivational quote. It’s simple:

• Name the fear.
• Reset your system.
• Write it down.
• Talk back.
• Take a micro-step.
• Let it be messy.

Action creates clarity. Overthinking creates stories. You don’t need more stories. You need more activity.

Let’s f*cking go.